Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy launched season two of “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP,” featuring the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy. The teams learn from each other that they can apply simple behavioral changes to help students and faculty be more mindful about lighting usage and plug loads in classrooms when not in use. Watch the episodes.

The Energy Department announced 13 new research and development projects aimed at improving electric motors to boost the competitiveness of American manufacturers and help companies save energy and money.

The Energy Department released a unique assessment of the potential future growth of distributed wind energy—turbines installed at or near the point of end-use to meet on-site demand, such as at farms, industrial facilities, or rural homes—in the United States through 2050.

AquaHarmonics of Portland, Oregon, won the Wave Energy Prize, our design-build-test competition focused on developing game-changing wave energy converters that will ultimately reduce the cost of wave energy in geographically suited parts of the United States.

After progressing more than 90 percent of the way to achieving the 2020 SunShot goal for utility-scale solar, the Energy Department is setting goals for 2030. Backed with up to $65 million in funding available to advance solar technologies, these affordability goals will set a new bar for the U.S. solar industry.